Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 8: Speaker Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta today endorsed the view-point of the MLAs regarding their ignorance by the Ministers while initiating developmental works in their respective constituencies.
While contesting the reply of the Minister of State for Planning Ajay Nanda regarding role and protocol of the MLA, BJP Member Rajesh Gupta said, “generally the Ministers ignore the MLAs while initiating developmental works in their respective constituencies”.
“Even officers don’t bother to take us on board while planning and executing developmental works”, he added.
Seeking intervention of the Speaker, Gupta stressed that explicit directions should be passed to the Ministers as well as officers to keep the elected representatives of the people informed before initiating developmental works.
The BJP MLA was supported by some PDP members, who too voiced similar concerns and sought the intervention of the Speaker.
Endorsing the view point of the MLAs, Speaker said, “this has happened with me also…..it is a fact that generally Ministers don’t keep us informed about the developmental works in our constituencies”.
“Ministers should keep in mind that they are MLAs first and then the members of the Council of Ministers”, Kavinder Gupta said and directed that elected representatives of the people should be taken on board by the Ministers while launching developmental works.
On this, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri said, “there is no doubt that MLAs should be taken on board by the Ministers”.
Earlier, Minister of State for Planning Ajay Nanda said, “MLAs represent and articulate the interests of people of their constituency in particular and that of the State in general”.
“In a number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, the guidelines provide for consultations with the legislators prior to the finalization of Annual Plans. The legislators are also involved in the monitoring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes at the district level through the institutional mechanism of monitoring committee like DISHA”, he said.
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